Seberang Prai

Places in Seberang Perai / Province Wellesley

Seberang Prai, also written Seberang Perai, is the strip of land which the British called Province Wellesley, after Richard Wellesley, the Governor-General of Bengal, was ceded by the Sultan of Kedah in 1798. The sultan in question, Sultan Abdullah, had no choice but to cede the strip of land to the British, as he had just lost a war with the British, in trying to get Penang Island back from Francis Light. By the time Province Wellesley was ceded, Francis Light had passed away (in 1794), and the negotiation was carried out by Sir George Leith, the then Lieutenant-Governor of Penang. The British wanted this strip of land to create a buffer zone to protect Penang. As you look at the map, you will see that mainland Penang does separate Penang state from Kedah in its entirely. Even when you drive south, you will re-enter Kedah at Bandar Baharu before entering Perak.

The name Seberang Perai comes from the township of Perai which was already a Malay settlement in the 18th century. In early British maps, it was spelled Prye. Although Perai is older than even George Town, it has always played a subordinate role. For much of Penang's history, the land called Province Wellesley or Seberang Prai was where vegetable farms were located. Rubber and palm oil estates are located here, and as Penang becomes industrialized, heavy industries are located in Prai. Even today, one can see the difference between the types of industries located on Penang Island and those on the mainland. Seberang Perai is about three times the size of Penang Island, but has about the same number of people living there. In recent years, the price of property in Seberang Prai has increased higher, making it one of the most expensive place to live in northern Malaysia, outside of Penang Island itself.

On this page I list the localities - encompassing townships, districts, areas, or places in general - located on Mainland Penang. It is pitiful to note that many Penangites who live on Penang Island often forgot that the state comprises two sections. The localities on the mainland is often ignored. In a case of not knowing hence not loving, most islanders are not familiar with the places in Seberang Perai.